52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History: Movies

I have decided to try and increase the genealogical content of my blog by joining in with some of the blogging prompts from Genea-Bloggers. This week the 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History prompt is asking us about our memories of movies. 


The first movie I can remember seeing was Star Wars IV: A New Hope when I was about 6 years old. This gave me my first "crush" on Harrison Ford as Han Solo! At home our TV was black and white so our cinema trips were a real treat. I can remember going to see Grease as well. No other movies really stick in mind from this part of my childhood.


When we moved to Beaconsfield in 1980 we had a cinema at the end of our street that was built in 1927. It was a very basic cinema with the ice creams being dispensed during the interval from trays at the front. One of the last films they showed was Clockwise in 1986 as it was superseded by one of the new style cinemas in the neighbouring town of High Wycombe. 


Wycombe 6 had six screens, lots of cinema food outlets including Ben and Jerry's and a neighbouring American themed restaurant next door. My girlfriends and I would regularly have a typical teenagers' night out with pizza and movie. 


We did occasionally visit the smaller 2 screen cinema at Gerrards Cross including a bunch if 17 year olds managing to get in to see Fatal Attraction which had an 18 certificate. This cinema had a hatch in the wall which opened before the film and in any intervals to serve ice creams etc.


I do miss the cosiness of the traditional cinema but have to admit the hi tech films do need to be shown in a modern cinema. As a student in Leeds my boyfriend and I enjoyed sitting in the top balcony of the local art deco cinema and throwing popcorn on people below! My kids only know the multiplex style cinema and it would be great to show them a "real" cinema one day. I have got them hooked on the original Star Wars trilogy though!